A dash following a stop, denotes that the pause is to be greater than if the stop were alone; and when used by itself, requires a pause of such length as the sense only can determine.

  “Here lies the great—­False marble, where? 
  “Nothing but sordid dust lies here.”

INTERROGATORY POINT.

The note of interrogation is used at the end of an interrogative sentence; as, “Who adorned the heavens with such exquisite beauty?”

    NOTE.  The interrogative point should not be employed in cases where
    it is only said, that a question has been asked; as, “The Cyprians
    asked me, why I wept.”

EXCLAMATORY POINT.

The note of exclamation is applied to expressions of sudden emotion, surprise, joy, grief, &c. and sometimes to invocations and addresses; as, “How much vanity in the pursuits of men!” “What is more amiable than virtue!” “My friend! this conduct amazes me!” “Hear me, O Lord! for thy loving kindness is great!”

PARENTHESIS.

A parenthesis is a clause containing some useful remark, which may be omitted without injuring the grammatical construction; as, “To gain a posthumous reputation, is to save a few letters (for what is a name besides?) from oblivion.”

  “Know then this truth, (enough for man to know,)
  “Virtue alone is happiness below.”

NOTE.  The parenthesis generally denotes a moderate depression of the voice; and, as the parenthetical marks do not supply the place of a point, the clause should be accompanied with every stop which the sense would require, if the parenthetical characters were not used.  It ought to terminate with the same kind of point which the member has that precedes it; as “He loves nobly, (I speak of friendship,) who is not jealous when, he has partners of love.”

  “Or why so long (in life if long can be)
  “Lent Heav’n a parent to the poor and me?”

Parentheses, however, containing interrogations or exclamations, form an exception to this rule; as, “If I grant his request, (and who could refuse it?) I shall secure his esteem and attachment.”

APOSTROPHE AND QUOTATION.

The Apostrophe is used to abbreviate a word, and also to mark the possessive case of a noun; as, “’tis, for it is; tho,’ for though; o’er, for over;” “A man’s poverty.”

A Quotation marks a sentence taken in the author’s own language; as, “The proper study of mankind is man.”

When an author represents a person as speaking, the language of that person should be designated by a quotation; as, At my coming in, he said, “You and the physician are come too late.”  A quotation contained within another, should be distinguished by two single commas; as, “Always remember this ancient maxim ‘Know thyself.’”